Well Thought Out Plans
by Lina Scriven
Summary: Robin and Terra both take on their former apprenticeships with Slade, but the stakes are more complicated this time. Many different pairings including: BBRae, Robin/Terra, possibly BBTerra and RobStar.
1. Prolouge

In the theme of things changing, something had gone wrong.

It didn't seem to be anything at first. It started out as an everyday procedure. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then, it grew complicated. Unusual. By the time anyone realized something was out of place, it was too late.

They had come home from their long excursion around the world. The Tower was emptied of the new heroes they had met. Beast Boy had seen Terra and took the hint that she didn't want anything to do with them. Little by little, they resettled in Jump and life moved on the same. There were calls to missions and they got back on a schedule. Training in the morning. Night shifts. Pizza was mandatory on Thursdays.

There was a distress call from just outside the city. It was minor. Robin said he'd go.

He called a few hours in and he would have to be gone longer_. I can't talk long_, he added.

It was normal still. Cyborg took the second-in-command position and they kept to their lives. They didn't hear much from Robin, only little snippets every night that he was still okay.

The first and second night was without alarming. The third, fourth, and fifth nights came with multiplying questions. The sixth and seventh came with growing panic.

Then, one night, under the storming sky, Robin came home, doused in rain, after his fellow teammates had all gone to sleep. He headed with a weighted step to Cyborg's room, and pressed the buttons to get him out of his programmed sleep.

A few surprised words, then a lot of serious ones.

"It's something I have to do."

"I understand."

"You're the leader now."

"You're welcome to take the role back at any time."

There was no reply.

And in the morning, Starfire passed his room to see if there was a sign that he had come home. The bed was still perfectly made and the desk still had papers strewn about in the same way. But there were things missing now. His spare utility belt. A backpack. The few picture frames of him and his team.

"Robin's gone!" she alerted her team.

"He is," Cyborg said matter-of-factly, "And we're going to move on."


	2. Phase 1

He was there again. She had run into him before in paranoid hallucinations. In the school hallway, he was among the crowd of fast-moving classmates. On the sidewalk, he was a familiar face in the sea of strangers. In the movie theater, she could have sworn she saw him right before the lights dimmed. _Ridiculous,_ she had to tell herself. _Like Slade would be anywhere near those places._

Except this time, when she saw him in the corner of her eye in the doorway of the coffee shop she was working at and she snapped her head to do a double take, he didn't disappear. In a state of panic upon seeing the dead still walking, she quickly looked around to find something to busy herself with- _that blender needs cleaning_- but as he approached the counter, her boss barked at her to "help the customer."

"Can I help you?" she tried her best to smile as part of the facade, but her hands were shaking and making an obvious rattling noise against the cash register. Slade's mouth twisted into a smile at her, but then his eyes drifted behind her and she could hear the slam of the back room door as her boss went to tend to something.

The shaking fingers now slammed down as a fist, "I thought I killed you," she said through gritted teeth.

"I thought you turned to stone," his smile was gone, his eye was now studying her. Her jaw unclenched and he added, "You have a moment to talk?"

There were no other customers in the place. The clock in the corner had both hands on twelve. She could hear her boss coming back from the back and in the spur of the moment she called to him, "I'm going on break."

Slade made a fiasco about being in the coffee shop, "What do you recommend from your menu?" he started to ask Terra, but when she sulked, he turned to her boss. Suddenly, she was brewing coffee and turning bright red as her boss and former master conversed about the weather. When the coffee was ready and she was ringing him up, he added that he would buy her one too, but only if he could use her discount.

By the time they were seated- outside, so her boss couldn't hear- Terra was beside herself in fluster and confusion.

Slade took a gentle sip from his cup, "You didn't add any sugar," he commented.

"Why are you here?" it came out in one loud yelp, the words strung together as one.

"Heard you were working here. Good for you. Making your own way. Though I am surprised that they gave you a shift when you're supposed to be in school."

"I told him I was eighteen," she said matter-of-factly.

"That makes sense. Told him you graduated?" she nodded, "And trying to make some money to get on your feet. Impressive. But you really shouldn't be playing hooky to make some money."

"Why should you care? It's my life."

_Wrong thing to say_, he smiled at that.

"And you finally have a normal one. Heard your powers are gone too."

"How did you-"

"You finally get to be a normal girl."

"Why are you here?" she persisted.

"I'm worried," he finally answered, "You're living on your own, you're missing school for make money and I'm sure you aren't passing geometry."

"Don't worry about me," she said, ignoring the question in her head that asked how he knew the class she struggled in the most.

"You have so much potential, Terra. Powers aside, you were trained by both the Titans and I and you're throwing all that away to be doomed to a life of making coffee."

"I have bigger plans for once I graduate."

"_If _you graduate. If you keep missing class for work, you won't get past the tenth grade."

"My break's almost over-"

"Let me put it this way. I'm still alive, you're not made of rock anymore. I still want control of the world and you need a part-time job. I'm willing to forgive you throwing me in lava if you would like to form a new alliance."

She just stared at him.

"I don't lose the things I invest that much time in."

"I already have a job," she said gravely, "The answer is absolutely not."

He stood up and opened the door to the café, "Excuse me, sir," he called. Her boss looked up, "You do realize that this girl is only fifteen," the color drained from her face, "And I know she is too young to be working here. I'll call the police on you for breaking child labor laws id you don't let her do immediately."

Slade grabbed his cup from the table and looked straight at her, "We'll be in touch."


	3. The First Alliance

_It was like old times._

Robin was nearly sickened by such a thought; it was as if Slade's words were already seeping into his head. He headed out of the city limits- adorned in dark civilian clothes- to a patch of uncultivated wilderness with a rundown shed deep within the brush. Robin went in with the only hesitation being opening the heavy door.

"Knock, knock," he said sarcastically as it swung closed, "New hideout?" there was an echo to his comment. He headed down a spiral staircase to a larger room, obviously underground and found it illuminated only by computer screens. The figure he was looking for was in the middle of the room.

"The more you destroy, the more I must recreate," Slade said before turning around and properly greeting his visitor, "Long time no see. I began to wonder if you'd keep your end of the deal."

"When it's life or death," Robin started, but Slade snickered and he stopped himself.

Slade caught the uncertainty and chuckled, "Don't be so uptight. We all value our own lives. More than we do others'. Human nature."

Robin still didn't respond until he asked, "What's the plan?"

"Nothing too impressive yet, I'm afraid," Slade turned to the largest computer screen, "You see, Robin, I usually don't let you see my preparations. You mostly only ever try to take down my grand finale. This time though, you'll get to see the whole production."

"What does that entail? Putting your insignia on everything?"

Slade took a moment to study the boy, "You've gotten snarkier. I like it," he turned back to the computer screen, "But no. There are a series of missions I need you to complete. They range from simple errands to heavy crimes. Think of it as- a proper initiation."

"Being your apprentice once already doesn't count?"

"Not when you break my mask. You must…regain my trust if you want to stay here."

"Done," there was no hesitation, "I'm at your mercy this time around."

"Good, Robin," Slade's voice almost purred, "Let's hope you have the same plan as I do."

"Destroy the Titans," Robin said, "That's the only reason I'm here."

"Thanks to your little friends, it's easier said than done."


	4. Attention Grabber

**Okay, okay, sorry for no intros. I DO NOT OWN TEEN TITANS. As much as I wish to. Also, thank you for the great beginning reviews! I have to address some things because of them:**

**I'm going to be really vague throughout this entire story about what's really going on. That's sort of why the title is what it is. Also, I'm trying to do a lot of show, don't tell, so I'm trying to not do a lot of thought processes. So, sorry but you'll be in the dark.**

**Also, I'm SO sorry I didn't mention this, but someone asked why Slade could so easily just walk into a coffee shop with his mask and all. Uhhhh yeah, I SHOULD have mentioned that he wasn't in his get-up. He was just like, a normal person. Sorry...I'll try to be more specific next time.**

* * *

Much to Robin's surprise, Slade did not put any plans into immediate action. For the first few days, he wasn't even given any assignments; just told to do daily training and not go outside. He barely even saw Slade in the first few days in the hideout. It wasn't until three days had passed and Robin was doing his evening training routine that Slade made a presence, "Are you getting antsy?"

"I'm beginning to wonder why I'm really here."

"You can stop wondering. I've got something for you to do."

"Finally. What is it?"

"How much do you like breaking-and-entering?"

"Depends. What am I stealing?"

Slade smiled.

For once, Robin was completely alone. Completely. No teammates by his side with their casual conversation. No communicator always erupting with reports. Slade hadn't even given him an earpiece to keep in touch. The solitude had a freedom that didn't sit right.

Slade gave him three steps to this mission: get in, make your presence known, get out. And one rule: Do not, under any circumstances- I don't care if you have to kill yourself to evade capture- get caught. He read that as the Titans could not know it was Robin doing the crime.

Besides that, he was given full control of what he wanted to do. Creative control. He wasn't even wearing Slade's uniform- just a black outfit (part of the "regaining trust" was that he could not wear the uniform until he proved his loyalty). If he did get caught, it was Robin's break-and-enter, not Slade's. Another uncomfortable freedom.

Jump City Hall. Nothing precious in there, but still a symbol. Robin took to scaling the back to enter it from a high window, leaving his scaling equipment there (not one with his Robin insignia-that would be a giveaway). He carefully worked to detach a locked window and jumped inside.

"Make your presence known," it meant he could be lazy. He tracked mud in the halls, placed his gloved hands on the wall, and opened doors without shutting them again. With his control of the situation, he could make his presence known in any way he wanted to. He took his own interpretation. Instead of tearing apart furniture or breaking big statues, he did little things: moving paperwork, changing which family photo was on which desk, putting viruses on the computers. He looked over his work and when he could imagine the surprise, confusion, then fear that little changes and hints could have on the government officials that worked here, he considered his job done. He repressed the feeling of remorse for what damage he was doing.

As one last hurrah, he smashed the glass of the emergency fire extinguisher and exited out the front door as the alarm wailed and the sprinklers went off.

He could remember the first crime he did for Slade; back when it was involuntary and he was only doing it to save his friends. When Slade said it increased his heart rate and he enjoyed it.

There was a moment when he let himself admit now that he enjoyed it.

* * *

Since Robin's abrupt departure from the team, Raven kept up his tradition of waking up at sunrise. She would wake up just as the first rays surfaced from the ocean and be out on the rooftop just as the sun was appearing. After, she would head to the kitchen, brew some tea, and begin her day with the quiet of the early morning.

Plans changed for this morning when, just after sunrise, she found Cyborg hunched over the computer in the ops room.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Not quite. We received a report that last night, someone broke into city hall. Didn't take anything. Didn't go into any restricted files. Just, messed around with some stuff and left."

"Odd," she said quietly, "What could that mean?"

"I don't know. We'll go later to check for any hints, but it sounds like nothing sticks out too much."

"We'll keep a closer watch then," Raven decided, "We can't be too careful."

Cyborg shook his head, but had nothing more to say.


	5. Phase 1: Attempt 2

Bell rang. The collection of chairs screeching. Feet shuffling. Laughing. Screaming. A lot of screaming. Lockers slamming in succession. She held on to the packet of papers in her hand with such intensity that it was beginning to crinkle. She wasn't looking at it, but she knew the red, circled F was staring right at her. She pulled books into her bag quickly, her nose dug into her locker.

"What happened?" a voice close to her asked. She looked up and saw a boy, not in school uniform, staring at her. Black hair. Blue eyes. Peering at her failed test and then back at her.

"Nothing," she said, not giving him another glance. She slammed the locker closed.

"Do you not recognize me?"

She looked again at the boy, who was now smirking. In her head she went through the list of people she had met; the elaborate list of all the people she had encountered when she was homeless. It came to her after a delayed moment.

"Where's your mask?"

"It stands out more in this environment."

A pause, then an outburst, "Why do you guys keep following me here?"

"Recruitment."

"Look, I already told Beast Boy no. If you guys keep following me-"

"It's not for the Titans."

"What?"

"I'm not recruiting you for the Titans, Terra."

"Not my name," she pointed out and started walking out of the building. He followed her.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Is it another cave?"

"That's too far of a commute. No, I got an apartment in the city."

"How are you paying for that?"

"Will you quit following me? I'm not interested in whatever you're doing."

"Hey, I'm not interested in recruiting you either. It wasn't my idea. But I have to. Slade's orders."

She stopped in her tracks, "You're working for Slade?"

"You didn't catch that?"

"I was hoping you weren't. What are you doing, Robin?"

"It's a long, complicated, dramatic story, Terra. I don't want to dwell on the past. I need to think about the future. And if I want to go forward with what I'm doing, I have to recruit you to work for Slade."

"Why is he so set on me working for him? I don't have any powers anymore."

"People don't just want you for your powers. There's more to you."

"Robin. Drop it," she was sharp now, almost yelling, "I don't know what games you're playing, but I'm not joining you or the Titans and definitely not Slade. That part of my life is over now."

There was a pause. Terra's eyes narrowed, but Robin didn't say anything. With satisfaction, she continued walking.

He took a deep breath, then grabbed her by the shoulder before she could walk out of his grasp. She turned, and she could see, for the first time ever knowing him, the desperation in his eyes.

But his voice was cool and collected, "You mind if I invite myself over?"


	6. Phase 1: Attempt 2 Part 2

**Am I really at chapter 6 already? Whoops, this is going to be a long one.**

**Also, lots of people have been like "WHAT IS GOING ON?" which makes me happy. Because that's the point of this story. I have a lot more planned than what meets the eye. So, enjoy being in the dark! :)**

* * *

The keys clamored on the bare kitchen table. There shouldn't have been that much of an echo, but with how empty the apartment looked, he wasn't surprised. Even with his shoes off (a request so she wouldn't have to clean as much), the floorboards still squeaked under his weight.

It wasn't a bad apartment. It wasn't stained and it barely had a smell and he didn't notice any rodents, but he knew it wasn't safe. She was residing at the outskirts of town, where the most crime in the city existed. Just as they were walking in, he heard a fight in another apartment that was escalating to the point of danger.

"Do you want anything to drink?" she asked, taking the role of hostess, like they had for her, "I have," she opened her fridge, "Water."

"No, thanks, I'm fine."

A moment before she shut the fridge, he peered into it and noticed it white with emptiness.

"I'm going to change. There's only so long I can stand around in this skirt," she said. He nodded and she went into the tiny bathroom and shut the door with a clicked lock.

He got to openly gawk at the apartment now. The one room where a kitchenette (a sink and fridge), a bare kitchen table, and an unmade futon were the only major pieces, accessorized with clothes strewn about and textbooks lying open on the floor. Working quickly, he tiptoed through these pieces around the room to the kitchen counter where a stack of mail had found its home.

This was what he expected. The rent was overdue, her utilities bill had never been paid. There were handfuls of warnings of her electricity and water being turned off and her possible eviction. He had just enough time to race through them all before he heard the bathroom unlock.

She came back out in sweatpants and a tanktop, "Sorry, I just really can't stand that uniform," she repeated, "The skirt is too short."

He nodded without much thought about it. The awkward silence crept in and Terra and Robin looked at each other.

"So," she finally said, moving the blanket off the futon and sitting down, "How'd you end up working for Slade? Threats? Lack of control?"

"It's a lot more complicated than that," he said, leaning against the wall.

"Are you allowed to tell me?"

"Why should I? It won't sway your decision."

She didn't answer, but added, "I'm sorry you're stuck with him."

He smirked, "Don't be. It was by choice."

There was another silence. She just stared at him.

"How? You _hate _him."

"I told you. It's complicated."

"I've been there. I'll understand."

The silence was his fault this time. If he imagined this conversation drawn out between the two of them, he didn't see himself as the one being offered help.

"It's nothing to worry about. The only thing I need from you is to come with me."

"I told you-" she started adamantly.

"Terra, look at yourself," he stopped her with a near yell, "You're living in a hole. You have no money. You have no job. You can barely keep on your studies. You're living somewhere dangerous and soon you're going to be back on the streets."

"And what about it?" she spat.

"Slade told me that he made an offer to you, but he wants to make sure that you understand it completely. He needs you for a point in his plan, not all of it. So, he said that in return for helping with that one point, and if you do training to get your physical strength and skill up, you can live in his hideout and go to school during the day."

She just stared at him.

"It'll be better than last time, Terra. He's not controlling your powers and you'll still have a chance to be normal," he cracked a smile, "And hey, I'm really good math if you need a hand."

"This doesn't even seem real. I can't believe I'm listening to you advocate for Slade."

He shrugged, "Circumstance. Terra, just say yes to this."

"Absolutely not."

"You will end up working for Slade."

"I'll find a new job in time."

He opened his mouth, but there was nothing else to say. Her eyes had narrowed again and she was egging him on to keep trying.

"Fine," he recoiled, "I'll deliver the news," he stepped backwards to the door, stepping carefully over the books and clothes scattered on the floor, "It was good to see you again, Terra."

"You too," she said for politeness. She got up to say goodbye and shut the door after him. _And please don't come back._

But Robin wasn't leaving. Instead of exiting, he found his way to the staircase to the apartment complex's basement and found the unmarked door that led to the control room of the building. Working swiftly before anyone else came in, he located Terra's individual power and water supply and cut them completely off. _No one will fix it when she hasn't paid for it_. In the moment of the attack, he cut off her heating too. The leaves outside were changing and if she lasted long enough without water, it would be the cold that would drive her out.

Terra would be part of the plan. That was an order.


	7. A Clue

**Someone asked if there would be chapters about the Titans- and here they are! There will be a lot of back and forths. Enjoy!**

* * *

_"Robin said he had to leave for personal reasons. He said he was burnt out and needed time to collect his thoughts. He said he hopes he can come back, but there's a chance that it's time to move on," Cyborg had said._

_"But where are his whereabouts? How can we contact him? He does not have to be a Titan, but I wish to speak to my friend," Starfire asked._

_Cyborg shook his head, "He didn't tell me much else."_

_Starfire went on, repeatedly asking questions Cyborg didn't know the answer to. Raven sat there still, observing. Beast Boy was quiet too, though he shifted frequently and his eyes had grown glassy._

_"Starfire," Raven suddenly spoke up, seeing Beast Boy's discomfort, Starfire's growing emotions, and Cyborg's frustration, "he spent a week alone working on who knows what. It might have been stressful. With that and traveling the world and beating Trigon before that, he may just need a break. He's learning when he needs to recharge."_

_"Exactly," Cyborg nodded, "And we have to respect that."_

Within a week, the Tower was back to normal again. Patrol rounds were redivided and training schedules were adjusted; and soon enough, no one was commenting on missing Robin anymore. Starfire had mentioned she would try to let go of Robin, but as the other Titans seemed to move on seamlessly, she lingered. She caught herself in front of his bedroom door. She found her communicator just a button away from calling him. They could be Titans without him, but she still felt out of place without her best friend. One afternoon, the loneliness was too much to bare. She called him.

There was no response, just an endless, empty ring waiting for the line to receive. With a sigh, she aimlessly walked down the hall, still holding the communicator open with a final string of hope.

The ring. It was- loud. She put her ear to her communicator but it wasn't the one making the loud noise. In a moment of curiosity (and hope), she sprinted to the sound and was stunned to find the door in the way of reaching it was Raven's.

In an instant, she ended the call and the noise went dead. _Did I call Raven by accident?_ She called Robin again and the noise sprung to life- definitely coming from Raven's room. _Strange_, she thought and reached to knock on the door.

That was when another noise pierced through the halls. The alarm had gone off in the Tower. Quickly, Starfire fled to the ops room, where the boys were already congregating. Raven appeared a beat after her.

"Another break-in," Cyborg explained automatically, "But this time we got a clue."

The screen turned on and the four could see the security camera footage of the break-in. For a moment, there was the image of a Sladebot going in.

"Not again," Beast Boy moaned, "We're never going to get rid of him."

"We will this time," Raven said and for a moment, she reminded Starfire of Robin.

A few days later, Starfire would wait until Raven left for her patrol shift. She would watch the empathy fly away from their island and disappear into the city before she walked with light steps in front of her bedroom door. She would call Robin's communicator again and wait for the ring to be her signal to intrude and investigate.

But the line was now dead.


	8. Phase 1: Complete

There was a knock on the shed that lead to Slade's hideout. The metal material made a hollow sound and the echo rang all the way down the stairs. Slade and Robin were both in the main room, working on separate projects. As the knock broke the silence, they looked at each other.

"Door-to-door salesman, I bet," Slade said, not even looking up.

"Not quite," Robin laughed, moving to the stairs "I may have slipped someone the address."

He opened the door with no caution and smiled when he saw the blonde there, "Did school just get out?" he gestured to the uniform.

"Can I come in? It's freezing out here," she was short with him. He opened the door and let her pass by him.

He could have asked what eventually drove her there. Was it the sabotage he did to her heat? Was she finally evicted? He could have asked, or called to Slade that they had a visitor, or made jokes. But now, as they descended the stairs together, a pang of guilt shut him up. In order to get her here, he already had to kick her when she was down. He had told her this was inevitable, and she didn't deserve to be teased for taking it.

And, after all, that was a job Slade would take anyway.

"Terra," her name on that familiar voice still made her stomach churn, "What brings you here?"

"Don't think that because I'm taking you up on your offer doesn't mean I'm not going to negotiate it."

Slade chuckled, "Are you taking a business class?"

"Yes," she said seriously, "And if I'm not happy with the deal, I'm not staying."

_We all know you're lying_, Robin thought.

"Naturally," Slade would humor it anyway, "I wouldn't expect anything less from an intelligent young woman like you. What are your requests?"

For the next half an hour, Robin went back to his work while Slade and Terra bantered back and forth about money and time.

"You do not need that much money when you're already getting housing."

"I barely own any clothes. This is my only uniform."

"What else are you going to spend it on?"

Sometimes I take forever to update and disappointment everyone with a shit chapter like this.

* * *

"That's none of your business."

Robin had to wonder if they always had this relationship.

"You will have a curfew," Slade was stern, "I'm not letting you out to party."

"I don't party."

"You have to learn how to lie again while you're here too."

Soon enough, the bickering ended and Slade and Terra agreed on a mutual negotiation. He would give her a higher pay than he originally proposed. On weeknights, she had to be home by dinnertime and had the rest of the night to do her homework. Mornings she was to wake up early and train before heading off to school. Weekends, besides training, were for herself as long as she was home by midnight ("absolutely no coming home drunk. Deal's off if that happened," Slade added to tick her off). He reminded her that this deal would only be a few weeks long before he needed her to be a part of his plan. Then, she would be required to work for him 24/7. She hesitantly agreed and they shook on it.

_Congratulations_, Robin thought, _You sold yourself to the devil again._


	9. Slowly and Surely

**I'm back! Sorry for the really long wait! A lot's been going on. While I had been posting, I was hospitalized, and then work got overwhelming and...ugh. I have a lot of this written in notebooks and stuff, it's just getting the time to post that kills me.**

**So, here's the next batch! It's sort of a different chapter. The second part (of Slade, Robin, and Terra) was something I wrote just now for kicks and I don't know how good it really is/it doesn't matter much, but I figured I'd throw in something stupid since the first part was so short.**

**Reviews are appreciated! Sorry for the wait!**

* * *

Raven was a different kind of quiet tonight. After noticing that she had been sitting in her room all day, Beast Boy convinced her to go out with him to her favorite café. She agreed to go out, but once there, she went quiet again, looking down at the table as the heat from her tea departed in steam.

"So, this whole Slade thing is really weird, isn't it?" Beast Boy tried to make conversation before popping a piece of muffin in his mouth.

"It's expected," she said, not even looking up.

"Raven, you're acting…weirder than normal. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," she managed to look at him, "Really."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not," her voice had some genuineness to it and he relaxed.

"Okay, I won't ask again," he slowly put his hand over hers, "Do you want to do something on Saturday?"

After defeating Trigon, Beast Boy and Raven had been spending large amounts of time together. Now that Raven had exposed her darkest secret, she trusted her friends with more and she and Beast Boy had accidentally started spending more time together. Raven was surprised by his level of maturity and was especially impressed with his way of handling the Doom Patrol. Once the Brotherhood of Evil was defeated, they started heading to places in the city together in their free time. They agreed to call them dates.

They were exclusive, but slow in their process. Raven was still afraid of what could happen if she showed too much emotion, but Beast Boy knew her well enough that it didn't matter to him. Over the past few weeks, she had started disclosing more information to him- parts of her life, her favorite things- they came in little fleeting pieces that he cherished.

She nodded to the idea, "Saturday sounds good. I need to get out of the Tower. Star's emotions are an overload.

They had agreed to keep his relationship a secret now, as Raven grew more comfortable with the idea that of them being a couple. Admitting to others she had feelings for another person was something she never thought she would be able to do in her life, and she was scared of it but slowly growing more open to the idea. Beast Boy was ready to admit his affection towards the empathy, but for now, her willingness to finally let him into her life, her want to be around him, the slight smile she had as he held her for a moment- this was more than enough for him.

* * *

Slade's tidy and spacious main control room quickly turned into a mess with the onset of two teenager's living there. He used to keep the area free of any sort of clutter: binders had their place in drawers and belonged back in those drawers once he no longer needed it. He only kept one pen out and knew where it was at all times.

Robin was a much different worker. While neat in his filing and recording, he needed all his papers out at once with the computer screen showing countless windows of information as he moved from task to task as fast as his mind thought. He often left his notes open when he was training or sleeping to come back to his exact thought later. The look of his trashed desk irked Slade, but he decided that as long as it didn't wander onto Slade's desk, he wouldn't say anything.

Terra, on the other hand, made it look like a tornado passed through the room. Slade let her have her own space for homework, but it was so disastrous he regretted the favor. She had a never-ending supply of colored pens, highlighters, index cards, staplers that were all scattered about her desk, and then other places in the room. Her textbooks and notebooks were often in high stacks on her desk and then when they got too cluttered for her to work there; she moved them around the room and then forgot where she put them. Slade resisted the urge to treat her like a child and clean up after her.

The newest change, however, in the control room were two giant boards against the wall. One listed all of Robin's tasks that had to be completed and they ranged anywhere between researching how to make new weapons, learning new fighting techniques, and items to steal. In the last moment, Slade put up a similar one for Terra that listed all her weekly homework assignments. It was colored coded according to the way she color coded her notebooks and listed things like, "Pass geometry test."

"Why are you going through my school stuff?" she had asked in an outrage.

"Why _are_ you going through her school stuff?" Robin had asked once she angrily stormed out (a common occurrence).

"To show her I care," Slade said innocently, "I know you think I'm lying Robin, but, sometimes, mocking someone is the best way to prove you've been paying attention to them. And everyone wants to be noticed."

Terra's board stayed taped up on the wall and changed every week with her work. As Robin worked through crossing off little tasks on his, she checked off her homework as she did it. And when she came back from school one day with a passing grade on her geometry test, all three of them smiled.

Slade hated the mess in his room, but he never mentioned it. In fact, this mess was only proof that everything was going according to plan.


	10. Vacation

**I don't think you all were expecting the appearance of these two! They come into the plot, don't worry! Enjoy!**

* * *

Kid Flash didn't go in cars. Why would he? He could run across the world as a warm-up exercise. Cars were loud environment killers that cost a lot of money only to rust and die a few years later. There was no need for cars.

"I'm sick of depending on you whenever we go places," Jinx argued, "It's demeaning."

He could understand that. Jinx, though finding his power convenient, often hated being held like a damsel in distress whenever they went anywhere.

They were going to visit the Titans when this argument sprung up. Jinx was feeling lonely spending so much time with just him after being used to living with five rowdy boys and he could see it in her sluggish demeanor. Basically, this trip was made to get Jinx to cheer up. He didn't see a need to calling the Titans beforehand to make sure it was okay.

This trip didn't sit well with Jinx at first. Even as they were in the car- her little black convertible- she was still arguing with him about it, "I don't even _like_ the Titans. And I'm sure they don't like me."

"Nonsense. You liked Cy. And Star will be more than happy to see you. They're easy people to please."

"I liked Cy, but I haven't seen him since we defeated the Brotherhood of Evil so I doubt we'll get along again. And Starfire never stops talking," she went on, "Then Beast Boy is immature and makes stupid jokes and Raven has to hate me because hating everyone is her thing. And Robin- he hates all villains."

"But Robin loves every hero. And Cyborg and you will reconnect quickly. And Beast Boy is friendly and you know Starfire will welcome you with open arms. And Raven-well- she likes to stay in her room so you'll be okay."

It was hours of bickering and cranking up the radio and holding hands over the cupholders before they got to Jump City. Once they got the shore, they parked the car and Kid Flash got the chance to carry her over the water with their overpacked luggage. Cyborg met them on the tiny island.

"Hey, what are y'all doing here?" his face widened with his smile. Jinx couldn't help but hug him.

"Couldn't help but notice someone running over the water through the window. I had to investigate. What's this pleasant surprise for?"

"Needed a little vacation," KF explained, "Our city got boring. We need a little more action in our life. Mind if we crash here for a few days?"

"Of course not!" Cyborg led them inside, "We have plenty of villains and crime to go around!"

They reached the ops room where the rest of the team was sitting. Beast Boy immediately jumped up at the sight of Kid Flash.

"Dude! What are you doing here? We never got the chance to hang out last time! Hi Jinx!" he added as an afterthought.

"Glorious! Guests!" Starfire was just as excited, "I will prepare the room of sparing and a traditional Tamarean feast to celebrate!"

Raven said a polite hello and went back to her reading.

KF looked around, "Where's my main man, Robin? I was looking forward to catching up."

"Robin isn't part of the team," Cyborg explained uncomfortably, "He's taking a break."

"Aw, darn it, our vacations overlapped. No matter, good thing we came then. I'm sure you guys need a few extra hands while he's away."

"Dude, totally!" Beast Boy said, his eyes wide.

"We have a new crime wave to solve and it's all been linked to one man," Cyborg explained.

"Who?" KF and Jinx asked unanimously.

"Ever heard of a man named Slade?"

"No," KF said just as Jinx said yes. He shot a look at his girlfriend.

"Well, if you were looking for some fun," Cyborg said sarcastically, "It's all here in Jump City."


End file.
